


Revenge is a Dish

by redpetra



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, This is how I want this to go down okay, minor violence warning!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 07:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11686572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redpetra/pseuds/redpetra
Summary: Neo finds Ruby and prepares to take her revenge for Roman's death. It doesn't really go the way she planned.





	Revenge is a Dish

Ruby's scream pierced the night as the mercy-killer pierced her flesh. Blood spurted from her leg where the thin blade jutting from the end of the parasol was buried deep in the muscle, pinning Ruby to the ground. A second blade was released from the handle of the parasol and was dragged - slowly, gently - up Ruby's body before resting at her throat.

Mismatched eyes met silver, vicious delight meeting agonized fear.

"Please..." Ruby's voice was quiet, hesitant. She was afraid to move; the razor-sharp tip of Neo's blade was scratching insistently at the soft flesh of Ruby's neck. A wrong move, a wrong word... She wished she hadn't sent the others ahead. She wished she wasn't so alone. She wished she wasn't going to die here, at the hands of a terrifying psychopath.

Neo revelled in her fear. She licked her lips, shivering in anticipation. Finally - _finally_ \- she had found the girl who had sent her off that airship. Who had separated her from Roman. Who had...

With a blink and a tilt of her head, Neo's appearance shifted. Her eyes became green, her hair vibrant orange. Her clothes changed, from her typical ensemble to something similar, but distinctive: a white suit jacket with, grey ascot, buckled gloves. Ruby's eyes went wide with recognition, and Neo grinned as she began to bear down on the teenager's neck with her blade, slowly increasing the pressure. Roman would have his revenge through her.

"WAIT!" Ruby reached up to grab at the blade, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I didn't kill Roman! I didn't kill him! It wasn't me!" She babbled the words, desperate to save herself, desperate to survive. The pressure didn't abate, but Neo stopped pressing down, her eyes narrowing. Encouraged, Ruby continued: "You know I couldn't kill him! I couldn't kill anyone! I just wanted to stop him! And he beat me, he beat me so bad! After you flew away he beat me and he hurt me and there was no way I could win! You know I couldn't beat him! You have to know that!"

Neo's expression was frozen. The girl's words rang true, but the fact remained that Ruby Rose had escaped that airship. Roman Torchwick hadn't.

Ruby kept talking. "I didn't kill him! I didn't! I couldn't! And I didn't want to! It was the Grimm! It was a Griffon! He was upset, he was angry, I was upset, and... and..."

The blade vanished from Ruby's neck. Neo stumbled backwards. It made sense. Ruby didn't have what it took to kill a human being. Ruby had sent Neo flying through the air. Ruby always tried to incapacitate, to disarm. Ruby wasn't a killer.

Grimm were killers. Grimm were attracted to negative emotions. Roman had beaten the girl to a pulp for putting Neo in jeopardy. Roman had been _angry_. Ruby had been _terrified_. Grimm were attracted to negative emotions. _It made sense._ It made sick, sick sense.

There were Grimm in the air that night. Hundreds of them. Hundreds of Grimm that would have been attracted by the emotions on that airship. Hundreds of Grimm whose hunger would have driven them to an enraged Roman Torchwick and a hurt, scared little girl.

And why were there Grimm in the air that night? Who brought them there? Whose machinations had drawn the attention of the Grimm who took Roman away from her?

Neo whirled around and drew her parasol from Ruby's leg with a sickening squelch. Ruby curled up in agony, sobbing desperately, but Neo dropped to her knees and grabbed the girl's shoulders. She made Ruby watch as she changed her appearance again. Her hair went dark, tipped in grey; her eyes became golden-amber; Roman's white jacket transformed into an ornate red dress.

Ruby stared, distracted from her pain. In those innocent silver eyes, Neo saw a spark of something dark, something cruel. 

_"Cinder,"_ Ruby whispered.

Neo's grin was devoid of any real humour, a twisted expression with sick intent. She stood up, shifting back to her normal appearance. She reached down, offering her hand to Ruby.

After a moment of deliberation, Ruby took it.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don't think Neo would seek revenge on Ruby. Roman's speech to Ruby on the airship made it seem like Cinder et co. promised them _**survival above all else**_ in exchange for their services. Since Roman didn't survive... well. Cinder probably has an avenging angel on her tail. Or at least, I hope she does.
> 
> As of right now this is a stand-alone mini-fic but it may end up expanded into a legitimate fic at some point. I've been told it has potential to go somewhere, but it was written mainly as a little piece of headcanon.


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